1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic camera and, more particularly, to that which employs a memory cartridge as a recording medium.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
In recent years, electronic still cameras which focus a subject image through an image sensing lens onto an image sensing device such as a charge coupled device (referred to as xe2x80x9cCCDxe2x80x9d) etc. as a still picture and thereby transform it photo-electrically into image data to be further converted into a digital signal which is storable in the recording media have rapidly prevailed in the market. Those sorts of electronic still cameras employ either a memory cartridge (a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disc which is encapsulated in a flat plastic case) or a memory card as the recording media, a singularity of which can store from several to some tens sheets of the sensed images. The sensed images stored in the recording media are characterized by that photo-retouches are easily available if the image data are transferred to a personal computer either by loading the memory cartridge, which has been unloaded from the camera, or by connecting the cartridge through an exclusive connecting cable to the personal computer. Accordingly, beside an advantage that monitoring the image is easily capable on a display device such as a cathode ray tube (referred to as xe2x80x9cCRTxe2x80x9d), those configurations have another advantage that it is unnecessary to ask an external shop for photo-printings which silver halide films would require.
FIGS. 8 and 9 are schematic block diagrams showing a first example of conventional electronic still cameras. In FIGS. 8 and 9, a numerical sign 101 stands for a main body of the conventional electronic still camera which has an appearance resembling a single lens-type reflex camera utilizing the silver halide films except for the body height. An image sensing lens 102 for sensing the images is installed on a front wall of the main body 101 of the camera while an eyepiece window 101a of a finder is equipped on an upper portion of a rear wall of the main body. Numerical signs 103 and 104 stand for a battery and a memory cartridge, respectively, both of which are built-in in the main body 101, while their installation and disconnection are carried out through an insertion entrance 105 formed on a sidewall of the main body 101. The memory cartridge 104 installed at a standing status in a lower space inside the main body 101 is replaceable by loading and unloading through the insertion entrance 105. On the other hand, the battery 103 is disposed vertically in a vicinity of the memory cartridge 104 in the lower space inside the main body 101. In the figures, an alphabetic character h stands for a height of the main body 101 and d stands for a depth of the main body 101.
FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic block diagrams showing a second example of the conventional electronic still cameras. In FIGS. 10 and 11, 111 stands for a main body of the camera, 111a stands for an eyepiece window of a finder which is equipped on an upper portion of a rear wall of the main body 111, 112 stands for an image sensing lens, 113 stands for a battery and 114 stands for a memory cartridge. The memory cartridge 114 is loaded through an insertion entrance 115 and vertically disposed inside the main body 111, being adjacent to the rear wall. Meanwhile the battery 113 is vertically disposed in a vicinity of one of sidewalls of the main body 111.
The electronic still camera shown as the first conventional example in FIGS. 8 and 9 has a tall constitution as the main body. On the contrary, the electronic still camera shown as the second conventional example in FIGS. 10 and 11 has a low outside look with a thick depth as the main body, which is quite different from an ordinary constitution of the silver salt film cameras.
FIGS. 12 and 13 are schematic block diagrams showing a third example of the conventional electronic still cameras. In FIGS. 12 and 13, 121 stands for a main body of the camera, 122 stands for an image sensing lens, 123 stands for a battery and 124 stands for a memory cartridge. The memory cartridge 124 is inserted through an insertion entrance 121a, which is provided on a sidewall of the main body 121, to be disposed horizontally in a lower space inside the main body 121. Meanwhile the battery 123 is disposed below the memory cartridge 124 and the longitudinal direction of the battery is aligned in a depth direction of the main body 121. A numeric sign 121b stands for an eyepiece window of a finder opened on an upper portion of a rear wall of the main body.
The constitution shown as the third conventional example in FIGS. 12 and 13 can be lowered in height compared with the constitution shown as the first conventional example in FIGS. 8 and 9 while can be thinned in depth compared with the constitution shown as the second conventional example in FIGS. 10 and 11.
However, the conventional examples mentioned above have problems as follows:
(A) In the case of the first conventional example shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, both the battery 103 and the memory cartridge 104 are disposed vertically on the lower portion inside the main body 101 so that the height h of the main body 101 grows tall though the depth d of the main body can be made thin. The tall height h of the main body 101 degrades the portability.
(B) In the case of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the memory cartridge 114 is disposed vertically in the vicinity of the rear wall inside the main body 111 and the battery 113 is disposed vertically in the vicinity of one of the sidewalls inside the main body 111. As a result, the main body 111 grows thicker in depth d though the main body 111 can be reduced in height h. Accordingly, it turns difficult to sense the image at a vertical frame position in view finder, namely to sense the image in portrait angle, by means of holding the lower portion of the camera.
(C) In the case of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the memory cartridge 124 is displaced horizontally in the lower space inside the main body 121 while the battery 123 is disposed below the memory cartridge 124, the longitudinal edge being aligned in parallel to the depth direction of the main body 121 so that both the height h and the depth d of the battery 123 turns larger. Accordingly, beside the worsening in portability, it turns difficult to sense the images in portrait angle, not in landscape angle, by means of holding the lower portion of the camera.
(D) Furthermore, in the all cases of the three conventional examples mentioned above, both easiness of operation and feeling during usage are quite different from those of the traditional silver salt film camera because the appearance of the main body differs much from that of the silver salt film camera.
The present invention is carried out to solve the problems mentioned above. An object of the present invention is to provide an electronic camera which can attain an excellent portability as well as can sense images in portrait angle by means of holding a lower portion of the camera and can further obtain drivability and feeling during the usage which are equivalent to those of the silver halide film camera.
(1) A constitution carrying out the object according to the present invention into practice is an electronic camera comprising:
image sensing means for transforming an optical image into electrical image data;
a recording medium for storing aforesaid image data; and
a battery for supplying electric power to built-in electronic components, wherein:
aforesaid battery and aforesaid recording medium are disposed in a vertical vicinity of each other near a bottom portion of a main body of aforesaid electronic camera, both width directions of the battery and the recording medium being aligned in a depth direction of the main body of the camera as well as both thickness directions of the battery and the recording medium being aligned in a height direction of the main body of the electronic camera, while the battery is arranged above the recording medium.
As the constitution mentioned above stores the battery and the recording medium in parallel to each other near the bottom portion of the main body of the camera, the main body of the camera is reduced both in height and in depth. Accordingly, a total down-sizing of the camera is available, which not only improves the portability but also enables sensing the images in portrait angle, resulting in improvement of the drivability and of the operational feeling of the camera during sensing the images.
(2) A concrete constitution carrying out the object of the present invention into practice is the electronic camera according to the constitution (1), wherein:
a memory cartridge is employed as aforesaid recording medium.
According to the constitution mentioned above, as the memory cartridge which is liable to be comparatively large in size and has difficulty of reserving a storage space can be stored inside the bottom portion of the main body by aligning the width direction of the memory cartridge in the depth direction of the main body of the camera and by aligning the thickness direction of the memory cartridge in the vertical direction of the main body of the camera, the main body of the camera can be shrinked in depth approximately within the width of the memory cartridge as well as it can be lowered in height. Accordingly, it turns possible to improve the portability, the drivability and the operational feeling during usage of the camera.
(3) Another concrete constitution carrying out the object of the present invention into practice is the electronic camera according to the constitution (1), wherein:
aforesaid main body of the camera has an outside look approximately equal to that of a single lens-type reflex camera which employs a silver halide film as a recording medium; and
a reserved space for storing the memory medium has a protruding portion which protrudes in the depth direction of the main body of the camera for forming a finger hooking portion.
According to the constitution mentioned above, as the bottom portion of the main body of the camera turns to be the convex portion having the finger-shaped concavity for hooking fingers, the outside look of the camera turns quite similar to that of the single lens-type reflex camera which protrudes convexities in a back-and-forth direction on the bottom portion when the reflex camera is equipped with either a motor driving mechanism or a motor drive unit. Accordingly, this external shape can assure the equivalent drivability and operational feeling to those of the single lens-type reflex camera.
(4) A still another concrete constitution carrying out the object of the present invention into practice is the electronic camera according to the constitution (1), wherein:
aforesaid battery and/or aforesaid recording medium are rendered capable of being loaded on and unloaded from aforesaid main body of the camera.
According to the constitution mentioned above, as the battery and the memory cartridge turn exchangeable, a continuous usage and a long term usage of the electronic camera are available. It also makes the users capable of applying the electronic camera correspondingly to their utilization statuses.